SWRT 302 | Transitions: bridging the white space in your stories

July 25, 2024

Transitions: bridging the white space in your story.

This week at the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn talk transitions. What are the good, bad, and better ways to keep your readers reading past narrative breaks? We want to create bridges over that white space, whether it’s a scene, chapter, or part break, no matter who, when, or where shifts on the other side.

VIDEO

AUDIO

SHOW NOTES

What we talked about:

Using date/time tags for your transitions. (1:08)

How do you avoid a clunky transition? (5:33)

What about hooks? (9:35)

Playing with one piece of the story in each transition. (14:30)

Why didn’t Kathryn write straight across the transition. (17:55)

The Harry Potter Death Transition. (18:55)

What if there are multiple story lines or point of view characters? (22:41)

LINKS

Get Alida’s Writing Tips here.

Things We Mentioned:

House on Fire by D. Liebhart
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Have thoughts, questions, other examples? Join the conversation at the Story Works Writers Facebook group.

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About Your Hosts

Alida Winternheimer is an award-winning author with an MFA in writing from Hamline University. She pursues her fervor for all things story as a writing coach, developmental editor, and teacher. Three times nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she is also a notable in Best American Essays and winner of the Page Turner Award. Author of The Story Works Guide to Writing Fiction Series, Alida lives and writes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She camps, bikes, and kayaks in her free time. Unless it’s winter, in which case she drinks chai by the fire. You can find more at www.alidawinternheimer.com.

Kathryn Arnold writes fantasy and anything else that sparks her creativity from her home in Kingston, Washington. She currently earns her living as an insurance underwriting assistant, where she also creates marketing and web copy. When not writing, she plays (and teaches) piano and keyboard in a band (or two), and is working on starting a ministry team with her husband. You can find Kathryn at www.skyfirewords.com.

Robert Scanlon was born in Australia, but whisked off to England when only a baby. After many years complaining about the weather, he did the sensible thing and moved back to Australia. Despite a career in the music industry, followed by decades teaching public speaking, Robert is an introvert who adores reading. Robert grew up on a diet of sci-fi masters, eventually discovering he had read the library’s entire science fiction section. Now he has to write his own. Robert is the author of Constellation, book one of the Blood Empire space opera series. Find out more at www.RobertScanlon.com